An electrical connector is the terminal portion of a multiconductor cable. The connector plugs into a mating connector to establish electrical conductivity between conductors of the cable and conductors within a device attached to the mating connector. Electrical connectors find wide application in the electronics field, including particularly critical electrical systems such as in aviation circuitry where proper conductivity must be assured.
Generally, the electrical cable includes many individual conductors within a surrounding ground shield, e.g., a wire mesh sheath, to prevent external electrical interference with signals propagating along the cable conductors. The electrical conductors of the cable insert within a metal connector housing and terminate at individual connection sites corresponding to connection sites in the mating connector. The ground shield attaches to the exterior of the connector housing to establish both an electrical interference shield and a mechanical coupling between the cable and the connector housing. Such shielding and mechanical coupling is provided by a metal band encircling the ground shield and connector housing to capture the ground shield against the connector housing. The connector housing may include a groove or other such formation for receiving the band and more firmly securing the assembly. The band must maintain the ground shield mounting firmly upon the connector housing, typically according to a given specification criteria, in order to provide reliable function of the connector assembly.
Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the band surrounding the connector housing is critical to proper and reliable connector operation. The subject of the present invention concerns a tool adapted for efficiently applying such a band to a connector housing to provide a reliable electrical shielding and mechanical connection between the cable and the connector housing.
Heretofore, such banding tools have suffered from lack of convenient operation. Many such banding tools require multiple operational steps and in some cases, use of both of the operator's hands. Clumsy operation hinders efficient use of such banding tools. Often the band must be applied to the connector housing in a limited work space, e.g., behind a bulkhead, leaving little room for operator manipulation. In other applications, the band is mounted in an assembly line fashion requiring quick and convenient operation. Assembly of connector housings is improved, therefore, by more efficient and more convenient operation of the banding tool.
It is, therefore, desirable that a banding tool be conveniently operable to improve the efficiency of banding operations. The tool should provide a very secure mounting of the banding about the connector housing in order to insure, to the greatest degree possible, the mechanical and electrical connection between the cable and the connector housing.